Where nothing goes waste

There are a few citizens in Bangalore who are taking initiatives to save the environment because they want to be the change they wish to see.

Instead of sitting back and complaining about degradation, they are taking proactive measures. Metrolife talks to some of those who are ensuring that there is zero waste in the City.

NS Ramakanth uses biogas at home so as to decrease his dependence on LPG. “We have a biogas plant installed at home, where we put the kitchen waste. This gets converted into methane/biogas and we do our cooking on this. We have found this to be a good replacement to LPG,” he explains, adding that his LPG usage at home has come down by 80 to 90 per cent.

“Every evening, we fill in the plant with kitchen waste. People are still getting to know about this. We have had many interested people come in to enquire about this,” says Ramakanth.

Ramakanth has also been trying to collect kitchen waste from surrounding areas so that it can be put to good use. “On using it, we have found many advantages, which include saving on cost of fuel, putting garbage to good use and using the slurry as compost for plants,” he explains.

Ramesh Nayak, who lives in Basavanagudi, says, “By using these renewable sources of energy, waste can be utilised for good purposes. I am very interested in such measures. But you must have both space and time. One has to be ready to get one’s hands dirty while taking up such initiatives.” Ramesh is also working towards using solar lighting in his house.

“Biogas has been a good back-up for LPG. However, since I installed it recently, it is difficult to say how much I have saved on LPG,” he says, adding that he has been trying to encourage people to take up these initiatives.

Software engineer Vinay Janardhanachari, who lives in South Bangalore, has been using biogas for the last few months. He says that he uses it as a secondary source. “We are a family of four and I thought that this was a good way to get rid of kitchen waste instead of it being dumped in landfills. I even tried to collect kitchen waste from nearby hotels. However, they did not co-operate,” he explains.

In his house, it is solar lighting that is mainly used. “It is only for heavy appliances that we depend on the BESCOM. Otherwise, the rest of the house runs on solar lighting,” he says.

Homemaker B Subashini has also resorted to this method. “I don’t have to always worry about being careful about LPG usage. To ensure that nothing goes waste, anything that remains unused is used as compost,” she explains.